While the majority of the United States has yet to reach Summer temperatures, or much less the mild days of Spring, a trip to the [...]
Indie, eh? Not since the turn of the millennium has it stood for its true meaning of independent, its reputation instead sullied by the disreputable nonsenses of the exclusively British likes of Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Courteeners etc. ad infinitum. It's a grave shame, not least as what was once a blanket term has been bastardised by the dirtiest of explicit connotations. Though in amongst all the turgid, and in many respects cheapskate sonic templates – not to mention the lazy categorisation itself – are glimpses of brilliance; of innovation, and so too relative independence. That [...]
Six months of 2012 have already gone by! Catch up on this year’s best new songs before the summer concert season ends. 1. “My Love is Real” by Divine Fits. Spoon’s Britt Daniel and Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner are taking turns on vocals in their new supergroup, Divine Fits, which also features Sam Brown of [...]
For me, and probably for most longtime Shins fans, there is an abrupt divide that separates their first two albums from everything that has followed since. Oh, Inverted World was an astounding debut album, and Chutes Too Narrow continued in the same vein, with a flair for quirky lyrics and twee/folk-tinged melodies. On their third [...]
For me, and probably for most longtime Shins fans, there is an abrupt divide that separates their first two albums from everything that has followed since. Oh, Inverted World was an astounding debut album, and Chutes Too Narrow continued in the same vein, with a flair for quirky lyrics and twee/folk-tinged melodies. On their third [...]
The Shins [Ed. note: We weren't lucky enough to partake of SXSW's mighty cornucopia of musical delights, but our pal and former Austinite, Sara, made the trip and was just darn cool enough to write this here post for us and you. She highlights some of the best bands listened to and food tasted, and gives some handy tips for any festival newbies looking to go in the future. Thanks, S!] Words and photos by Sara Ever fancied a trip to Austin, TX to check out [...]
On the Shins' fourth album, the band bring some newer, bigger production to the table. However, the band doesn't exactly present the energy or personality to make these ambitious sounds exciting. WATCH THE REVIEW
Finally, it dawned on me this week: The Shins are THE indie/power pop of my generation. They'll be the band that, like Big Star before them, future fans look back to and ask how this band wasn't universally adored. [...]
We may not be knights, but we've spent plenty of nights debating bands and records, and what we have to show for it today is this here roundtable. The Shins are, at this point, an indie institution, bursting forth from relative obscurity to mainstream-ish adoration, undergoing lineup changes at frontman James Mercer's behest, spawning side projects (well, side project), and all the while soundtracking our breakups, seasonal depressions, self-affirmative comebacks, and general emotional developments/devolutions. Where better to look now than tomorrow, and the Port of Morrow , more specifically. We have our thoughts, you have yours, and [...]
The Shins Port of Morrow Aural Apothecary/Columbia Prior to the recording of Port of Morrow, The Shins' James Mercer did his best Axl Rose impersonation and booted everyone out of the band. And while Port of Morrow didn't take a decade to finish and didn't require millions of dollars in backing, the results are just as disjointed as Rose's comeback album, Chinese Democracy. There's the electro-pop of opening track, "The Rifle's Spiral" and its awkward stab at modernization that consists of piling bleeps and keys and synths until, voila, [...]
The Shins - Bait And Switch
Not long now until The Shins drop the much-anticipated Port of Morrow . So far we've given you the stunning FM pop of first single Simple Song , as well as the woozy acousitc September . Now there's this, an upbeat, swaggering stab of guitar-pop, complete with some glorious group backing vocals. The groups new members look great, playing away in a simple rehearsal take within a cosy log cabin. It's absolutely great, and wets the appetite for Port of Morrow 's release on 19th March.
That particular business lingo acronym ( K.I.S.S. ) always struck me as unnecessarily abusive, given its intended goal of focusing attention on a core point. One need not linger long on the derogatory, however, when The Shins are back in building and spreading their gloriously buoyant indie pop into our lives once more. [...]
Floridian indie pop foursome Surfer Blood have returned with a new Ep titled ' Tarot Classics .' The less surfy more mature sounding effort is now available for a full listen. Head over to Spin and stream the tracks now. Surfer Blood - Drinking Problem Tarot Classics Ep Stream
Here's an oddity which should delight and befuddle in equal measure. The Voluntary Butler Scheme is Rob Jones, a one-man band who uses a stack of instruments, stitched together with woozy psychedelic production, to create twinkly electronic pop music. It's a peculiar brew, combining computerised swing, glitchy bells and whistles and cut-up sound collages with jaunty indie and a sprinkling of shoegaze, and it's highly likely that you'll either eat it up greedily or want to hurl it into the nearest canal. Read more..
![[Album Review/Listen] – Fruit Bats – “Tripper”](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3630327_lg.jpg)
Tweet Buy the album from Amazon - Vinyl / MP3 / CD Fruit Bats' fifth LP, "Tripper", kicks off with an urgent acoustic guitar, strumming with a kind of determination akin to the beginning of a long road-trip, an escape. The addition of a driving bass drum and a spindling, dirty electric guitar reinforce this sentiment, with Eric Johnson's nasal voice echoing a youthful, anarchic chorus proclaiming that "well, the world might end [...]
The Shins have added a handful of additional dates to their forthcoming short North American tour. The band are set to kick off their first tour since 2009 on August 8 in Eugene, Oregon. Beside the two previously announced festival headline slots at Outside Lands in San Francisco and Philadelphia's Popped! , the band are now set to play the DeLuna Festival in October as well as dates in Portland, and Toronto. Check out all tour dates below. Tour dates: [...]
Snowmine's debut full length Laminate Pet Animal has officially made my Best of 2011 list. It's got just about everything you could want out of an indie-pop record, so how could you not love it? The extremely catchy and addictive "Penny" is probably my favorite track, filled with Shins-reminiscent melodies and vocal work [...]
As promised, I'm back. I had another week off... Sorry about that! As much as I bitch about life and work and all sorts of other crap, I haven't really got a leg to stand on when I can take two weeks off and the weather decides to shine down on me. This is just another list of good songs I've been listening to over the last seven days or so. Considering just how sunny it's been there's a song by the Buena Vista Social Club that's made the cut and it's amazing. The whole song is good, [...]
Broken Bells - Heartless Empire
BreakOnACloud
Dots & Dashes
Trust Me on This
Draw Us Lines
The Needle Drop
Heavier ~ Than ~ Air
I Rock Cleveland
When The Gramophone Rings
The Maroon Cafe
Never Enough Notes
Listen Before You Buy
Rockonthestreets.com
newdust
Safety, Fun & Learning
The Weeknd - Kiss Land
Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action - Album Trailer
Holy Ghost! "Dumb Disco Ideas"
Action Bronson - "Strictly 4 My Jeeps" (Official Video)
Kanye West - New Slaves
videoboutique
MP3: Daft Punk – “Horizons” (RAM Japanese Bonus Track)
Mix/Cover/Live #887 (feat. Yalls & more)
Le Fever :: "White Hearts"
Amici 2013: Verdiana Zangaro vincitrice? Sì perché è la più brava, no perché non è la più amata
Listen to Pharrell Williams' new track, 'Happy'
